in conjunction with expo milano 2015, japanese designer nendo has collaborated with italian material manufacturer alcantara to produce ‘alcantara-wood’. the exhibition ‘alcantara, technology of dreams‘ is presented at the palazzo reale in milan, consisting of a collection of chairs and a table. the distinctive quality of the furniture is characterized by the method of layering fabric in various colors, then rolled up to create a ‘log’ and in turn, cut into panels. this creates the marbled, tree-ring effect that is unique to each piece. the exploration of this new technique has opened opportunities for flooring to furniture finishes, bringing out a whole new expressive dimension to alcantara.

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the pieces have been selected for their resistance ‘to fraying around the edges even when cut apart from the whole’
all images by akihiro yoshida

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the alcantara wood chair is presented in conjunction with expo milano 2015

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various colors have been layered and rolled up to create a kind of ‘log’

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then sliced to create singular panels

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a distinctive timber and marbled effect has been produced

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